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#1. Re: [E36M3] Extended warranty time? - from NickG
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Date: Wed, 14 Mar 2001 16:26:49 -0500 From: "NickG" <nikog@mediaone.net> Subject: Re: [E36M3] Extended warranty time? I'd say definately get it. I have the 7/70 Diamond plan with $0 deductible on my '95 M3. So far it's covered the flywheel and radiator. It will be covering the ABS pump ($1600 part) shortly, as I'm tired of the ABS light staring me in the face. It's definately paid off for me. I've noticed that your mileage is at 49.5K. Usually, they won't sell you the Diamond plan unless you have over 1K miles left on the factory warranty. Hurry up! Nick > I know this is an old question for the group-but maybe there are others > curious, too. Can those of you with older M3's comment on the value of an > extended warranty? I was quoted today $1830 from Warranty Gold (Diamond > plan; 5yr, 100K mi, $0 deductible) which covers everything but: battery; > shocks; manual trans stuff; safety systems; glass; lenses; bulbs; rotors; > emission systems; weather strips; trim; moldings; bright metal; chrome; > upholstery/carpet; paint; outside ornamentation; bumpers; body; tires; > wheels/rims. What I want to know is how likely is it that something really > major fail on the car, will it pay for itself, and is this a decent price? > If I amortize the money for 5 years at 5.4% I would have ~$2400 to play > with...Thanks-if this is WOBW email me directly. > > Jason Olin > 97 Cosmos Black M3 2-dr > 49.5K mi > jolin@mail.nih.gov
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#2. Re: [E36M3] Extended warranty time? - from NickG
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Date: Wed, 14 Mar 2001 16:27:59 -0500 From: "NickG" <nikog@mediaone.net> Subject: Re: [E36M3] Extended warranty time? Typically, you have to have at least 30days and 1K miles left on the original warranty to qualify for the 'new car' plans. If the original warranty has expired, you can still get an extended warranty, but the coverage isn't as good, and the cost is higher. Nick > I have a question on this topic also. At less than two years old, my car is > getting uncomfortably close to the end of it's warranty. Do these extended > warranties need to be purchased before the original one runs out, or can > they be added at any time? I simply don't have the $1830 to plunk down > right now, but after reading this list for so long and experiencing what I > already have with this car, I'd like the comfort of having an extended > warranty. > > Anyone? > > Jonathan L.
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#3. rear suspension woes (long) - from daanesh chanduwadia
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Date: Wed, 14 Mar 2001 21:58:53 From: "daanesh chanduwadia" <daanesh@hotmail.com> Subject: rear suspension woes (long) Short version: Background: the place that swapped my rear toe bushings did so by leaving the car on the ground, unbolting the ‘bracket’ and pushing the car forward. When I got the car back I noticed it was a) lower and b) rode horribly. Thinking it was a preload issue, I had the job redone at a dealership and replaced the OEM shocks/struts/bushings at the same time. No change (the ride improved by it certainly wasn’t like the half dozen other 95s I’ve driven). Brainstormed, had springs checked. They were unseated. Reseated springs. Ride now tolerable but still not ‘stock’ in feel. Questions: what else could be damaged? The car has lost its rake and has a ‘cut spring’ feel (sharp, high frequency kicks rather than absorbent and damped). Is it possible something was ‘tweaked’ but sustaining forces they were not designed for? Could the springs be damaged by being driven on while not properly seated? Bent when the car was shoved forward? What about bushings – since I can assume they weren’t indexed properly the first time, the dealership – even when following the correct procedure – would only repeat the mistake. Is my only solution the T.C. monoball components? Long version: I need help with a problem I’ve been trying to fix for nearly a year now (!) At this point it’s either fix the car, or sell and go back to my 91 Civic Si until the 1 series arrives (needless to say, I’d much rather fix my car). The problem started when I had my rear ‘toe control’ bushings swapped. Mistake number one: I had the work performed by Direct Tire in Watertown MA. I had been toting the bushings around with me in the trunk since reading on the list that the 3.2s were beefier, so when Direct Tire’s alignment whiz assured me he was familiar with the replacement procedure I authorized him to do the swap. When I went to pick up my car, the bill was for only $120, including a 4 wheel alignment. I was shocked and began patting myself on the back for not having the work done at a dealership. That is until I went out to the car – it was discernibly lower in the rear than it had been since I bought it new in December of 94. Driving on a smooth road was not so bad; the rear had a more planted, predictable feel. But over bumps it was like there was no suspension at all. Which is when I made my second mistake – I didn’t think anything of it, assumed that it had something to do with the preload of the bushing. The factory makes specifies the technician ‘index’ the orientation/position of the factory installed bushing – I contacted the tech that did the work to double check his claim that he was familiar with the procedure. To my horror, I found out that he had replaced the bushings but loosening the three bolts at the housing with the car on the alignment rack then pushed the car forward (_with the wheels weighted_) to get the front of the lower control arm to drop for access to the bushing. I was upset at him for deceiving me and myself for not having taken the car to a dealership or someone like Schneller or Turner, and decided to have the bushings redone by the local dealership’s best tech, hoping that this would rectify the problem. At the same time I had the rear shocks and mounts replaced. This was my second problem: throwing parts at a problem I didn’t No better. So I tried to picture what else it could be using the line drawing in the Bentley manual as a guide. (The springs? Couldn’t be, could it? The springs and shocks are factory original -- always have been.) A friend with a 99 M3 told me he had similar symptoms after installing the Dinan Stage 2 suspension on his car. In his case it turned out that the springs were not properly seated. Took the car back to the same dealership (oh to have access to a lift!) and asked the tech (their best) to check the rear springs. He found that the left one was indeed improperly seated and replaced the left and right upper and lower spring pads. Better, but it’s still not right ( I can drive the car without wanting to roll it into a lake but I look at other M3s – all other M3s – with envy). I’ve driven a half dozen other M3s with OEM suspension, and those cars have a) compliance and b) rake. So here’s the question: given that this tech’s ‘procedure’ rocked the body far forward enough to get the factory springs unseated, what else might have been damaged that would account for my horrible ride quality and lack of rake? The thing thumps and crashes over bumps even with the new shocks, bushings and mounts. It’s got the feeling of a car with cut springs. Options: replace bushings with T.C. Kline monoball components (the only way I can think of that will eliminate preload as a possible problem -- the dealership tech presumably repeated the mistake made by the hack at Direct Tire). and/or replace the springs (the logic being that the end coils of the springs were damaged by being driven on while improperly seated or the spring was bent during the ‘procedure’). I’m open to any theories as to what else could be damaged – subframe bushings perhaps? The car’s led a very easy life save being at the hands of a couple of incompetent mechanics. Driving a BMW hard does so little damage, while one foolish tech can do so much. Daanesh looks but doesn’t FEEL like a 95 M3 _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com
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#4. ext warranty - yes, you need to buy it. - from George M. Kofman
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Date: Wed, 14 Mar 2001 16:16:28 -0600 From: "George M. Kofman" <sdg2@execpc.com> Subject: ext warranty - yes, you need to buy it. For those of you who are new to this list, or missed my 5-6 bitching posts last november-december, the answer is BUY THE FRICKING WARRANTY unless you made money on Nasdaq in the last 12 months. I purchased a diamond plan from WarrantyGold.com (Dave Wallace; davew@warrantygold.com; use my name as referral). I was a complete moron for buying a 2yr/75K mile extention. I should have bought it for 6yrs/100,000. But what the heck, I saved $600. like I said, MORON. So, what did this warranty pay for: DME replacement Front Wiring harness replacement LR Caliper replacement rental car (10 days) cost: $5300 (2) O2 sensors cost: $a couple hundred, cannot recall I paid about $300 in addition to all the monies warrantygold.com dished out - for the extra 20 days of rental use. I say I got the raw end of the deal by the dealership on the rental, but I saved a ton of dough..... summary: buy warrantygold.com, diamond plan, or better (if they have it). Duration ? buy it for 2 yrs longer than you think you'll own your M3. perhaps you won't sell it as quickly as you think. I now have only 20K miles left on the warranty, and feel that I'll reach it before the 2yr time window. By then thogh I'll have another set of wheels. YMMV GMK '97 ///M3/4 (www.motorsports-exchange.com)
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#5. Re: [E36M3] Re: Another M3 Bites the Duts - from Sean Hester
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Date: Wed, 14 Mar 2001 15:07:50 -0800 From: "Sean Hester" <seanh_race@hotmail.com> Subject: Re: [E36M3] Re: Another M3 Bites the Duts > > 1. I would like to have the insurance company total the car, as I don't > > think I will ever feel safe driving it at 140mph on a track again. most race cars i see at the track (SCCA and other ametuer type racing) have been "totalled" at least one time, and put back together. the car i race has had the frame bent two times, and been pulled straight two times. and it still runs great. we can't afford to get a new car every time we have damage. there's no really rational reason to be uncomfortable driving a car "race speeds", that's been in an accident and fixed properly. of course the emphasis is on "fixed properly". and with insurance trying to cut corners on what needs to be fixed, and what can be left alone because "it's ok", there might be cause for concern. if they won't total it, just be anal about INSISTING that everything be fixed. even things that are "maybe". this effort alone will usually raise the estimates quite a bit (as much as 50%) and might actually make them want to total it... _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com
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#6. Re: [E36M3] Why does Ate do this on the M3's brakes? - from Sean Hester
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Date: Wed, 14 Mar 2001 15:11:16 -0800 From: "Sean Hester" <seanh_race@hotmail.com> Subject: Re: [E36M3] Why does Ate do this on the M3's brakes? >There's something about the E36 M3's floating calipers that puzzles >me -- perhaps someone can explain. > >When you install new (full-thickness) pads, you'll notice that the >rear-facing "ears" at the extreme top and bottom of each brake pad's >backing plates rest against a machined, horizontal surface on the >caliper. However, as the pads wear, the caliper moves in such a way >that those ears "leave" the machined area, move towards each other, >and are now positioned over the "trough" that separates the two >machined areas. > >Why is that? You'd think that the caliper ought to constrain the pads >the same way, from when they are new to when they are nearly gone ... the calipers aren't really designed for pads that are "nearly gone". if you are a "good bwm owner" and don't track your car, and take it to the dealer, you'll never use mroe then half the material on the brake pads, before they change them and give you new ones. those of is that use the brake pads down to the last millimeter of material are actually using them system past it's "out of spec" point. _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com
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#7. Front Control Arm Bushings - from shane.a.kleinpeter@accenture.com
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Date: Wed, 14 Mar 2001 18:13:23 -0500 From: shane.a.kleinpeter@accenture.com Subject: Front Control Arm Bushings I've been out on the net looking for information on replacing the control arm bushings on the front of the car. I've found plenty of write ups for the ones in the rear, but nothing for the front. When swapping wheels at VIR this weekend I noticed that the bushings are starting to tear on both sides of the car at the front. Ball joints are still fine. I'd assumed that the bushings alone could be changed out and hope that this is the case. Anyone with experience doing this? Is it the same cut the bushing with a sawzall method? Are there better replacement bushings available rather than stock that are OK for a street driven car? I'd appreciate any wisdom on any or all of these questions. Thanks. Shane Kleinpeter Tarheel Chapter '96 M3 '88 535is This message is for the designated recipient only and may contain privileged or confidential information. If you have received it in error, please notify the sender immediately and delete the original. Any other use of the email by you is prohibited.
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#8. Re: [E36M3] Bedding PF90 pads? - from Sean Hester
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Date: Wed, 14 Mar 2001 15:20:22 -0800 From: "Sean Hester" <seanh_race@hotmail.com> Subject: Re: [E36M3] Bedding PF90 pads? > List-ers, anyone have some tips on bedding PF90 pads (to new rotors >btw) for an upcoming track weekend? drive around normally for a day or two. (50 miles at least) try not to make any hard stops during this time. definetly long enough so they aren't making griding noises, which is common with new race pads, on brand new rotors. and long enough so that the "sandpaper" look of the rotors is gone, and replaced by the concentric circles pattern you usually see on rotors. after that initial mating has occured, get your car up to about 60-70mph and make a medium-hard (NOT IN THE ABS) slow down to about 20-30mph. then go back up to 60 and let the brakes cool off for about a minute. then repeat this hard stop, cool down process 3-4 more times. that's it. PF-90s are about the easiest pads on the planet to bed in. _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com
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#9. Re: My GC Coilover setup (long) - from Ron Katona
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Date: Tue, 13 Mar 2001 21:47:43 -0500 From: "Ron Katona" <rkatona@bellatlantic.net> Subject: Re: My GC Coilover setup (long) Greg, Eibach doesn't make 9" long , 2.5" ID springs according to their web site. They do make 8 inch-ers. They make 9" in the 2.25" ID, but I'm not sure you can fit those over the M3 front struts. BTW, the wheel moves 1.25" for every inch of spring travel on an E36 M3, so going from a 7" to 8" spring will raise the car 1.25". Going to a 9" spring will raise the car 2.5". If you can't get a 9", the next step is 10" which will undoubtedly be too tall. Ask Jay about the 8's. -- Ron Katona Greg Cernosek wrote: > I plan on talking to Jay (already left a message) about taller springs. I > really do like the spring rates I went with, I just need the car to be a > little higher and I really want to be able to corner balance the car with > out making it so low it is un-drivable. I was thinking that I should get > two inch taller springs. This way I could raise the car about an inch and > move the height adjustment closer to the middle of the range. Then, I will > get the car corner balanced. That being said, I don't know if they make 9" > springs! That would be the length of my front springs if I added two inches > to them! The guy who answered the phone at GC suggested that I check the > numbers on the springs to verify that they are really 7" springs. He > figured that they are probably 6" springs that were put in the wrong box. > We will see. I will keep you informed.
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#10. Re: [E36M3] Why does Ate do this on the M3's brakes? - from Andrew E. Kalman
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Date: Wed, 14 Mar 2001 15:27:09 -0700 From: "Andrew E. Kalman" <aek@pumpkininc.com> Subject: Re: [E36M3] Why does Ate do this on the M3's brakes? Sean Hester wrote: >the calipers aren't really designed for pads that are "nearly gone". >if you are a "good bwm owner" and don't track your car, and take it >to the dealer, you'll never use mroe then half the material on the >brake pads, before they change them and give you new ones. > >those of is that use the brake pads down to the last millimeter of >material are actually using them system past it's "out of spec" >point. That's an interesting point, though I would counter it with two observations: 1) BMW's attitude towards its drivers, particularly in Europe re the M cars, is a bit different from BMWNA, and I'd expect Euro M3s to often show up for service with well-worn brake pads, and 2) The condition I described will occur at with only 25-50% of the pad gone. Still, it's an interesting point Sean makes, especially with the cash flow / biz model that BMW has of late. -- ______________________________________ Andrew E. Kalman, Ph.D. aek@pumpkininc.com